Yes, we already have a perfectly good recipe for spare ribs and sauerkraut which we’ve been making for years. No, that’s not enough to deter the siren call of something potentially even better. Dad found a recipe for spare ribs in The Niman Ranch Cookbook to which he incorporated a completely different way of cooking the sauerkraut, one that includes slow cooking cabbage and sauerkraut together with beer. Okay, spare ribs, cabbage, sauerkraut, and now beer?...

A few zucchini here, a couple chopped tomatoes there, some beans, grab the lonely leek that’s sitting in the fridge, add some chicken stock, a handful of pasta, and in a few minutes, you have summer in a soup. Minestrone is, by its very nature, a throw-together event. An improvisation. You can use whatever vegetables you have on hand. You can use vegetable or chicken stock. The soup can be thin and focused on the broth, or it can be thick and stew-like....

Because of their specific role in your knife arsenal, they don’t get as much use as the chef’s knife, the workhorse of the kitchen. This alleviates the problem of sharpening, which can be onerous and expensive. They also can double up as a meat-carving knife for those fall-off-the-bone rib roasts or tender briskets. To help you choose the one best suited to your needs and budget, our editors tested seven popular bread knives in our Lab....

So with blends ranging from a handful of ingredients to a dozen, how do you choose? There are several things to consider when shopping for the right gluten-free blend. What type of baked goods are you making? Is cost the deciding factor? Do you have other dietary restrictions that need to be taken into account? Because of its ease of use, King Arthur’s Gluten-Free Measure for Measure Flour is our choice to add to a gluten-free pantry....

The question must be asked: Do you really need a hand mixer if you already have a stand mixer? Our answer is a resounding “Yes!” Having a handheld beater as well as a stand mixer means making whipped cream to top a tres leches cake at the same time as the batter was being slowly mixed in the stand mixer, or to work together in the kitchen as one blends a quick bread dough for breakfast and the other a pizza dough for dinner....

Indoor grills usually employ infrared heat rather than direct, open flames to create a smokeless grilling experience. They run off electricity, so no need to deal with a heavy propane tank, and most fit snuggly on your countertop. There are two varieties of indoor grills: open grills and contact grills. The former is a sort of scaled-down version of an outdoor grill, with an open grilling surface. You’ll need to flip your food halfway through so that everything cooks evenly....

But finding the right kitchen torch can be a challenge. Pastry Chef Rick Griggs of Taste Catering in San Francisco prefers the power of a propane torch, which is much faster than any butane torch, often wielding one in both hands as he worked his pastry line. Shauna Sever, baker and author of Midwest Made, recommends using a powerful and flexible torch, one that could be found on the shelves of a hardware store instead of a kitchen store....

Oh, how things change! In just a few years, we’ve gone from sussed-up Shirley Temples to entire shelves of zero-alcohol spirits that are well worth having in any bar. Even better, research suggests that non-alcoholic drinks can trigger a similar release of dopamine for a complex, elevated experience (otherwise known as a buzz), with none of the drawbacks. What Makes a Good Non-Alcoholic Liquor? There are two standouts in this new world of NA or non-alcoholic drinks:...

Choosing a good toaster oven can be overwhelming. You’ll want to choose one that has the functionality that you need and comes in the correct size (measure your counter space and pay close attention to the toaster oven’s dimensions). There are many toaster ovens out there with bells and whistles, but not all of them are used effectively. And if you just want a basic toaster oven, we found those, too....

So when I treated myself to a six-week trip to France, I made sure to join a croissant making class in Paris. As someone who has tried and failed to make the pastry at home, I needed to know from a professional what I was doing wrong. That’s how I ended up at La Cuisine Paris to learn how to make the perfect croissant. The secret? Use high-quality European butter—it makes all the difference....

I was maybe 11 or 12? After school, I beelined into the kitchen and tossed tteok, sliced onions, a heaping tablespoon of minced garlic (we kept it by the jar in the fridge), gochujang, sugar, soy sauce, and a little water into a small pan to simmer while I loitered around the snack drawer. In just 15 minutes, I had fiery-red chewy rice cakes to hold me over until dinner....

Turtle cookie cups come together quickly and are a delicious treat any time of day. I especially love them as a sweet pairing with a hot cup of coffee. The drizzle of chocolate and sprinkle of sea salt give them extra razzle dazzle, but you can also keep them simple with just the Rolos and toasted pecan halves. Whether you dress them up or dress them down, these cookies always hit the spot....

Because I eat a largely plant-based diet these days, I miss that meatloaf, so I set out to make a recipe to mimic my mom’s (minus the meat). Vegetarian meatloaf is exactly that: a tender, soul-satisfying, juicy meatloaf that will fool many a meatloaf lover. How to Make a Meatless Meatloaf This recipe uses the same method and many of the same ingredients that made my mom’s meatloaf so good: onions, garlic, herbs, ketchup, lots of black pepper, and breadcrumbs....

Here’s why: It’s tender, perfectly sweet, and yes, just as good as the banana bread I’ve been baking since middle school. You’d never know the difference. Where Did this Banana Peel Business Come From? Good question. First off, using banana peels in cooking may be new to me (and perhaps to you), but cultures in various pockets of the globe have been doing it for generations. Even Nigella Lawson, Britain’s grand dame of television cookery, has a recipe called Banana Peel Curry....

You may be familiar with grilling slices of eggplant in thick rounds—but this is another simple grilled preparation that you’ll fall in love with this summer. You throw the entire eggplant on the grill to slow roast until soft and collapsed, revealing a silky smooth and slightly smoky interior when sliced in half. Then, it’s finished with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, a pinch of flaky sea salt, freshly cracked black pepper, a squeeze of lemon to brighten it up, and fresh flat-leaf parsley (a 3-ingreident recipe, not counting your pantry staples)....

Tender zucchini replaces traditional noodles and is layered with an easy to make but flavorful ground turkey meat sauce then blanketed with two different kinds of cheese for ultimate flavor. It’s perfect for rainy weekends or at the peak of summer when it’s too hot to eat outdoors. I say hit the farmers market in the morning then make it for an easy Saturday night summer supper. Pair it with a large salad and serve ice cream or fruit for dessert....